


Take One for the Team

by ToughPaperRound



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ensemble Cast, M/M, Stress Relief, Team, Teamwork, Ultimate Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-07 20:03:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20981588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToughPaperRound/pseuds/ToughPaperRound
Summary: Eric is stressed. SOMEONE needs to take one for the team…





	Take One for the Team

**Author's Note:**

> This is set during the year in which Jack, Shitty, Holsom, and Bitty shared the Haus, and Lardo, too, was pretty much an honourary Hausmate.
> 
> Canon divergence note - in this fic, Bitty has had a steady boyfriend for a few months and while it began well, it fizzled out - ending recently with a whimper of an amicable break-up. Bitty deals with it just fine, and then less fine...
> 
> Rating M for Shitty's language, and discussion of sex.

Eric 'Bitty' Bittle, Samwell Men's Hockey Team's foremost winger, has been in a foul mood for a week now. There was a bad loss for the team a fortnight ago and it's gotten steadily worse since then…

There was the incident with the laptop and the recalcitrant printer at the Library.

Bitty burned a cobbler - and then served it anyway. To be fair, with a large dollop of the good ice cream it was still great, thought Holster.

Then last night Bitty made banana-flavoured Angel Delight. And then ate it. All of it.

And finally, just now, Bitty was scathing to young Chowder, then turned around and stormed off upstairs.

Shitty reassured Chowder that he was most assuredly not a stormin' great dipshit, and that the whole beauteous team loved him as their own _ even if _ they didn't realise it today.

He went on to let Chowder know that the Hausmates had noticed Bittle's steadily worsening mood and would now stage an intervention as there was Clearly Something A-fuckin'-wry.

Lardo had texted Bitty - to say that if he needed to talk later, she was available. And that Chowder would be fine.

When Nursey, Dex and Chowder had headed off to their dorms, the rest looked at each other and said…

"Well now!"

"What are we gonna do about our Bitty?"

"I've never seen him like this?"

"Ha! Totally thought he was going to have steam coming out of his ears!"

"D'you think it's something his parents have said?"

"Maybe he's stressing over a paper or some exams?"

"Nah, man, it's obvious what's been eating at Bitty," says Ransom. "It's been getting worse ever since he broke up with Niall… "

"Yeah man, he's been having longer and longer showers…"

"And his concentration is _ shot _," adds Lardo.

"And he watched old Baywatch reruns with me the other day. He hates to admit he likes that," says Holster.

"So, how are we going to help our Bitty-Bits?"

"It's simple - the dude needs to get laid."

"Chyeah! One of us needs to _ get _ him laid," asserts Shitty.

"Yeah!" agrees Lardo, "Wait, what? One of us?"

"Yeah! And soon!! Otherwise the team is going to explode just before the Playoffs. Or we'll all die of food poisoning."

"Why one of us, though, Shits?"

"And who?"

"Yeah! One of us needs to step up and help our team-mate out in his time of trouble. Soonest!" proclaims Shitty. "Any volunteers?"

"Well, don't look at me! Bits is 100% gay and we would get nowhere fast, we know this," says Lardo.

"True, true. But Sister - your willingness to sacrifice for the One True Team is recognised," reassures Shitty. Lardo rolls her eyes.

"Sadly I don't think I'm the dude for this Honour, either - even if I could get it up for that gorgeous hunk of Georgian Peach, I don't think taking someone else through their first time is really what he needs? He needs it to be goooood. Expertly fuckin' done, not fuckin' fumbled. Am I right?" asks Shitty, although he knows he is right.

"Yeah," agrees the group.

Ransom takes a pause and then speaks up to announce, "I umm, that is to say - We, errr we are not actually in an open relationship anymore, umm now, but maybe this is a circumstance we need to talk about, Holtz … maybe we need to make an exception?"

"Dude, can't speak for you man, but that ball of blonde sunshine is, like, truly the brother I never had… it feels wrong to even talk about it like this… I know he needs help fast but it cannot be me. Sorry!"

"Fair point."

Everyone agrees, tells him they understand, and looks glum.

"What about one of our younger team-mates?" enquires Holster.

"Nope. No way. Bitty might be horny and desperate, but he mothers those Frogs. No, he would not go for it," decides Shitty.

Shitty looks over to Jack and looks thoughtful. Then he looks hopeful.

He silently raises an interrogatory eyebrow.

"Shits, no!"

"But Jackabelle! Our Magnificent Marvel of a human, our esteemed Captain…"

"Shits, please don't ask me!"

"Woah! Bruh, is this kind of thing, uh, something you've, uh, done before?" asks Ransom.

"Of course it is Rans," says Shitty, "he was in the Q after all? Three hundred fanfics can't all be wrong, eh? No smoke without fire, brah."

"Just think it over, my dude," Shitty asks as he turns to Jack once more, "that's all we ask of our man of the hour. Just consider taking one for the team and hitting on that Ball o' Sunshine, do what we sadly cannot…"

"You know it makes sense."

"For the team."

"For Betsy," Lardo sniffles into her beer can.

"I'm not promising anything, Shits," sighs Jack.

"See what you can do, man. It's all we can ask."

\---

The next evening, Jack discovers Bitty in the kitchen when he comes back from the library.

Bitty had been having a sads meltdown by himself in the Haus, and Jack finds him weeping over his phone a little.

Softly, he asks what is wrong, and he's sympathetic. Bitty huffs and tells him he's been trying to pluck up the courage to download a hookup app on his phone. He admits, he's scared of doing that but he's also ridiculously frustrated.

"Ah, I see. Maybe you could go to a bar? You know any one of us would be happy to wingman you."

"No, Jack, they all treat me like a twink. Just a twink. And well, you know, a hookup from a bar or from this stupid app is just gonna be sloppy and too fast or lazy, and prob'ly drunk… I need to find me someone to have a Real Good Time with, to properly scratch this itch, I'm tellin' you."

"Nggggh..."

"Ugh, I don't have time to get to know people either, I have so much work to do on top of practise and matches... You know how it is."

"Yeah. Absolutely. Euh, what about that rugby guy? He was always down to 'try', eh?" suggests Jack. His dad-pun is not even noticed by a fraught Bitty.

"No, he's been goin' steady since last semester," Bitty tells him, glumly.

"Oh, right."

"I do, ahem, take care of things myself - but it's just not been enough this last week," mumbles Bitty, "Just not enough, you know? My skin feels like one huge crawlin' itch sometimes. I can't concentrate on anythin'. I'm snappin' at the Frogs like some horny bear with a bee sting. Urggh!"

Bitty holds his head in his hands.

Jack steps a little closer to Bitty. "Maybe you need some help from someone in the team, eh?"

"Help?" repeats Bitty, unsure, "What kind of help?"

"The kind of help you need, Bittle," explains Jack firmly, as if that sorted everything.

"From the, uh, the team?!" repeats Bitty, with a raised brow not quite believing or understanding what he's hearing.

Eyes meet.

"Yeah, Bittle. From the team," reiterates Jack with a firm stare. And a slight blush.

"But, who?" Bitty had stood up and is pacing now, "Shits would try, god love him and bless his heart, I know he would but I just couldn't… Holster would just squish me and then we'd get the giggles… ugh! No, it's all too weird…"

Jack has a funny look on his face. It's like he's just worked something out.

Jack walks a little nearer again to Bitty. Breaths hitch.

"Jack?"

"Bittle…"

"Really, Jack?"

With a twinkle in his eyes, Jack responds, "If it'll get you to stop grouching at the team, then yes really, Bittle."

"Grouching?!! You're a fine one to talk, Mister Zimmermann!!!"

"Eric?"

"Hmm?"

"Shush?"

"Okay, Jack."

They meet together for a soft kiss that is part Hello and part How _ you _ doin'? Jack's eyebrow checks in with Bitty that he is happy to continue with this development, and Bitty's grin lets Jack know that he wouldn't have it any other way. It progresses quickly to a hot slide of mouths, Jack holding Bitty's jaw and pressing him bodily against the kitchen counter.

Bitty has been so frustrated for so many weeks that he can't imagine holding back in the face of this amazing offer. But a tiny part of his brain is still able to cheer quietly at the news that Jack finds him attractive, right here and now.

Very quickly, it becomes obvious to Bitty that Jack has certainly done this before. His dark-eyed hunger and rapid movements (just this side of frenzied) do not prevent him from taking Bitty apart in the most thorough way he has ever experienced. Hands and mouth are all he can comprehend.

It's as though Jack already knows everything there is to know about Bitty. Only now, he is getting to show him.

Eric thought he'd had great sex and great loving with Niall. (Niall, who?!) But that had fizzled out in the last month, which was ages ago now. And even at its peak, sex with Niall didn't compare with what was happening down the front of Bitty's trousers right now in this kitchen.

"Oh! Oh, Jack!" gasps Bitty, "We should go upstairs - we can't be like this here in the kitchen! My room?"

\---

"You feeling less grouchy yet, bud?" asks Jack with a smirk as they lie back on Bitty's bed.

"Ooh, I can't believe the cheek of you, callin' ME grouchy! Come 'ere, you!"

They take their time to explore their way to a second round of orgasms, and it's still perfectly hot, with added giggles this time.

\---

Bitty is first into the Haus kitchen the next morning. He is making something delicious at the stove when the other Hausmates stagger downstairs.

They view Bitty warily, expecting more frustrated outbursts. But in fact there's a calmness to the Haus kitchen that has been missing for what feels like months. Bitty has changed. He's sunny and chilled.

Bitty has *been* changed.

The Hausmates meet each other's eyes and no-one finds the answer they seek.

Jack is last to wander downstairs. "Crisse! That smells so good Bits, I'm starved," he yawns. As he stretches, his T-shirt rides up and they catch Bitty staring. Then they catch Jack blushing when he sees Bitty staring.

Ah-hah!

Shitty says, "Well done my Captain, our Captain! When we win that Glorious Trophy the name upon it shall be ever yours!!"

"And Bitty! Let me shake your hand, you speedy wonderfucker! 'Cos that hand has been where others have only dreamed to tread, brother. Truly motherfuckin' blessed."

Lardo says, "Well, let's hope he washed those blessed hands, else our pancakes are all gonna have extra protein in 'em today."

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to [Mansikka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mansikka/) for the encouragement - a gift basket of butterscotch flavour [Angel Delight](https://www.angeldelightdesserts.co.uk/) is in the mail to you.
> 
> Thank you in advance for any kudos or comments. Feel free to reblog this post on [Tumblr](https://garibaldifigroll.tumblr.com/post/188258927305/its-not-edited-yet-but-are-you-hyped-i-am-this/) if you'd like to share.  
(ΘεΘ) xx


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